The Sinking of #12

(excerpted from a club newsletter)

I sincerely hope this will be a watershed experience for all members, current and future. I urge everyone to keep safety first and foremost in their minds, especially when winds are strong. One of the biggest risks our members face is falling off a boat without a floatation device and being separated by the current. This should not be underestimated and everyone should think carefully about this issue and what precautions they should take.

- Commodore Michael Fortenbaugh

A final note: If you broach with your spinnaker up even once, the spinnaker can fill with water preventing your boat from righting itself.  This could lead to the boat filling with water and sinking. 

Never fly a spinnaker or any sails in conditions beyond the abilities of your crew.

Additional discussion on sinking of J/24s from the Scuttlebutt website in 2004:

SCUTTLEBUTT 1688 - October 13, 2004 (www.sailingscuttlebutt.com)

GUEST COMMENTARY
Last Saturday, halfway up the opening weather leg of Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle's One Design Fleet Championships, the J-24 Quicksilver was caught aback and auto-tacked. The wind was 20+ with higher puffs and
unstable and shifty. Quicksilver capsized and quickly turned turtle. All the crew were in the water, some holding onto the boat others floating free. All but the skipper were wearing PFDs, and one of the crew wearing an inflatable supported the skipper in the water.

Here's the good news. The entire J-24 class immediately stopped racing and turned to the rescue. The RC spotted all the headsails coming down, saw the boat in trouble through binoculars and sent two whalers and called the Coast Guard. Three different J's picked up three crew and the largest whaler picked up the skipper and the other crew. There was some confusion making sure that everyone had been picked up as boats did not have radios on board. People were calling back and forth "We've got one!" until it was clear all were safe. The Coast Guard showed up very quickly, but all were safe by then. All the J's did their rescues while sailing under main, and all rescues were done on the weather side. "Instant life slings" were made from life jackets and spare sheets. The whole fleet sailed back to the marina, shared warm clothing with the rescued crew and got them to the showers at the club. The entire class mutually agreed to abandon racing for the day.

Here's the bad news. After self-righting, Quicksilver briefly stayed upright with sails luffing and three to six inches of free-board. The boat then slowly "burped" air and laid over on its side, floating first bow up, then bow down. When the CG arrived, the bow was under water, and it was clearly unsafe and too late to put a person aboard to start pumping. The boat sank in about 10 minutes in several hundred feet of water.

Lessons learned (or relearned). This was the third J-24 I've seen sink. The first two were on the SF Bay some years ago on a very windy day. They'd gone out to practice after all races were abandoned due to high winds and got in trouble while flying kites. All three sinkings have similarities though. Water got down below through the companionways and the cockpit hatches either flopped open or let air out. I have sailed J's for years and the boat is a great one-design. But people should be aware that in a breeze the cockpit hatches should be locked shut or, better, sealed. The companionway board should be put in place and the hatch shut (the companionway launch system hinders this). Having radios on board is useful for more things than calling over-earlies. And wear PFDs (most of my crew wasn't)! - Steve Johnson

* From Guy Gurney: The report of the sinking J/24 took me back to some 20 years ago when I was the racing editor at Yachting magazine (yes, it covered sailing in those days). At that time there had been several well-publicized reports of J/24s capsizing and sinking in similar circumstances, in some cases involving loss of life. A sailmaker friend who raced a J/24 told me that at least 25 such sinkings had already occurred in various places around the world, so I decided to investigate further and prepare a report for the magazine. Unfortunately the chief editor at the time instructed me not to do so, for fear of upsetting a valued advertiser. (Another major Yachting client had cancelled all advertising as a result of a SORC race report I'd written, which they considered detrimental to their image.)

Since then I have often wondered if my informant was exaggerating, and just how many of the thousands built of these great little boats have actually sunk. A J/24 doesn't strike one as a particularly dangerous design, but in view of their history, and the fact that they are often raced harder than many other boats of their size and type, it would seem sensible to mandate some kind of fitted buoyancy.

* From David Greening: I would not be surprised by the number of J/24 sinkings quoted by Guy Gurney. I remember two going down in a windy offshore race at the J24 Nationals at Poole in 1984. My conclusion was that there were two types of J24 crew, the guys down sizing from big boats who sail with the companionway open, the dinghy sailors upsizing keep the companionway closed, except for hoists and drops. The other lesson, learnt from one of the rescued crew who nearly drowned, was that integrated lifejackets with sailing jackets are dangerous if you don't have a crutch strap to stop it riding up. The two most important guys on a J24 are probably the one who dumps the kicker (vang) and the one who closes the hatch.

* From Barry Dunning, RYA Yacht Racing Coach: Further to my old friend Guy Gurneys comments on J24 sinkings - as a past J24 sailor I always raced in a breeze with the weather boards in. Once I and my crew were caught in a squall without the boards and we broached. The only way to stop the boat from sinking was by quick action of my middle crew who promptly sat in the hatchway and pulled the lid shut. He did weigh in at 120k nd so filled the hole, until we came upright, admirably.

* From Don Ferguson, Toronto: Further to Chuck Riley's comments about sinking J24s, I think it's fair to say any keelboat will sink given the right (wrong) circumstances. As a former J24 Class measurer, I always cautioned new owners to put spring clips on the lazarette hatches. Later J24s had the bulkhead separating the rear lockers from the cabin sealed to the underside of the deck and now J24s are made without lazarettes, so JBoats have responded to the issue. The key point is that sailors should be responsible for their own safety and wear a PFD. I would say "when condition warrant" but that's a whole new issue.

* From Bob Johnstone: Too bad Guy Gurney didn't send it to us for publication instead of Yachting. I remember making a similar report, probably earlier than Guy Gurneys because at the time there had been only a half dozen or so cases. I don't like the inference here that J Boats put pressure on Yachting magazine not to publish this news, when in fact we
probably already had got the news out and went overboard in J/24 Magazine (and possibly other publications) to do so. And, as I recall, even reported some forms of positive flotation that could be used. Furthermore the boat was modified to make the aft lockers watertight (assuming they were locked down).

I believe this was just after one of the 3300 series boats sank in Noroton and possibly just after the 1979 Worlds as well. That may help you find the article which I remember writing. I have all this info in a file in Boston, but in the meantime it might be worthwhile pulling out that issue of J/24 Magazine and a few quotes in a response to Scuttlebutt. Another idea would  be to post a link to this J/24 Magazine Article on Scuttlebutt as a public service type move. Not too soon for a reminder and might demonstrate how we operate. Further to Guy's comments, I don't remember placing that many ads in Yachting.

* From Jeff Johnstone, J Boats: In 1980, the J/24 Class and J Boats received three reports of known sinkings. The next J/24 Magazine (March 1981) covered the details of each incident, the recommended safety precautions, stability studies, permitted boat modifications, spec changes etc. In these cases, and most cases sited since (including Quicksilver in Seattle) the primary cause was flooding of an aft cockpit locker (when an unsecured lid opened) or the main companionway after a broach in heavy air.  The #1 safety precaution published then, repeated since, and highlighted in Steve Johnson's account is: When sailing in rough weather, be sure that all deck openings are secured. This is an essential safety precaution for keelboats with enclosed interiors.

Having its origins in the Off Soundings and MORC Rule of the 1970s (which followed ORC guidelines), the J/24 was built to meet those safety requirements including lifelines, pulpits, self-bailing cockpit, securable deck openings. Class equipment followed suit, mandating items such as life ring/drogue, pump/bucket, first aid, fire extinguisher, hacksaw, engine, securing of heavy items below, etc. But as we've unfortunately learned, mandating equipment is only a start. We can never let up in the pursuit of educating all sailors about the importance of taking a pro-active role in their own safety, and that of everyone aboard; not to mention helping a fellow competitor, as was so commendably done in Seattle.

The recommendations published in the 1981 J/24 Magazine are as valid then as they are today. [See reprint below]

* From Dan Tucker: I raced J/24's pretty competitively on a regional basis for some time. I've only seen one sinking, and I happened to be on board.  We were racing USA 2246 in pretty tough conditions (cold, rain, 30ish knots, with higher shifty gusts on a mountain lake). We death rolled the boat twice at the same spot in the course due to a geographic shift and gust well over 35 knots. We were leading the race when we turtled the boat during the 2nd broach. We were so determined to go to the J/24 Worlds that we never stopped racing, just righted the boat. We'd heard the stories about sinking J/24s, so the hatches were secured, but the companionway washboard was not in place... Crew were all fine, but all the skipper could say while were in the water was, "I can't believe we sank the f*#%ing boat!" The boat was recovered and still races.

Turtle any keelboat with a cabin and it's highly likely to sink. Properly buttoned up, a J/24 is no more susceptible to sinking than any other keelboat. I've seen people button them up and intentionally capsize the boat to retrieve a lost halyard. There are just more of them, so you hear about it more. A planing spinnaker run in a J/24 is just a rush. I still
love it!  BTW, we still finished the regatta 7th, with a DNF -Did Not Float

From Denis Farley: There was an incident with the sinking of J24's about 10 years ago in the Wednesday evening series on Sandy Hook Bay in New Jersey. Three J24's out of 12 that were racing went down simultaneously when a line squall hit with winds packing gusts to 70 mph. The wind literally knocked over every J24 that had sails up.  Actually, there were two issues involved. The first issue was the lack of something to prevent the hatches on the boats from opening. This seems to be a long term problem with J24's. I understand that new J24's do not have hatches in the cockpit.

The second issue has to deal with the responsibility of the Race Committee for safety. I listened the marine forecast from NOAA that evening and they were actually breaking into the broadcast to announce that a line squall with severe conditions was rapidly approaching. The Race Committee either did not bother to check the weather, or decided to proceed with the races in the face of unsettled weather. My crew and I were racing a J24 that evening and we survived because we dropped out of the race when we saw the squall was coming, dropped sails, and threw out the anchor. We were drinking beer in the cabin while the rest of the fleet was getting flattened.

Published March 1981 – J/24 Class Association Magazine

Think Safety

The best way to prevent disaster is to know your limits, to know the boat's limits, and to know just how bad

conditions can get. To aid your imagination, Bob Johnstone reports on known J/24 sinkings, their causes,

what you can learn without having to sink first, and what preventative steps you can take to prevent a

recurrence.

One of the problems with the J/24 may be its safety record compared to other one-designs or when competing in

offshore events, maybe the record is too good! Too much is expected of the boat and the people on her. And, the

awesome forces of wind and waves are too often underestimated.

THE SAN FRANCISCO TEST

October 1978 STAR Worlds, Berkeley

Circle, wind 25-30 knots, First Race: Three Stars sink at the weather mark (one was never found) and

approximately 20 of the 98 starters in the race do not finish. This occurred after the Race Committee

required every star entered to be sunk at the hoist to pass the flotation test.

AUGUST 1980 J/24 North Americans Berkeley Circle, wind 25-30+ (more severe than in the preceding

situation), Last Race: Some knockdowns but no rig failures. Six DNF's, some of which were racing for the

hoists to depart.

JUNE 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials in SOLINGS, Berkeley Circle, wind 25-30 knots. 2nd Race.

One Soling sank, 3-4 lost masts, 2 lost booms.

REPORT FROM JAPAN

The following is a report from Shuji Watanabe, Japan's ORC representative in a letter of October 20, 1980:

"Recently, our J124 (#1940) has proved herself to be a very tough and seaworthy offshore yacht.

On 27th September, she took part in an 85 mile triangle offshore race around two islands. Out of

42 entries, only 29 started because of bad weather. At the start, wind speed was 30 knots. But, it

was blowing harder and harder, up to 60 knots, and 70 knots for an instant.

The sea was building up and two lives were lost overboard from other yachts. Only 5 boats

finished after 24 hours battle against big seas. The finishers were: Peterson 42, Holland 33,

Impensable 30, Farr 727 and the J/24."

Sailing has always been regarded as a test of man against the sea. There's challenge built into this vision.

One that often sustains, even glorifies our mortality in a world which is full of indirect, less real, challenges

of the mind. When sailing, the whole person and all the senses are thrown into combat with the elements.

But, let's not get ridiculous and throw ourselves away!! At this point, you may respond, "Of course, not".

That's easy to say (1) if you are experienced and know what to expect or (2) if you are in a snug harbor

with no deadlines to meet, or (3) you are cruising and are working on your image of being a good seaman.

But are you courageous enough to risk the derision of being "chicken"? Will you refuse to start a race if the

weather forecast is ominous? Will you pack your duffel and leave the crew, if the skipper fails to show

proper regard for conditions? Will you pull out of a race, shorten sail and head for home if the crew is

incapacitated by sickness rather than continue under full press to win? These are not easy decisions to make

when the chips are down. There's ego and reputation involvement ... living up to what's expected of you in

the world's best sailboat, even.

I don't profess to be particularly good at this myself. Yet last season I pulled the plug twice. Once before

the start of the New Bedford Yacht Club's Spring Whaler's Race - a 105 mile overnight race. It was going

to be a family affair on a J/30 and Mary's first overnight race. The weather forecast was for 20-25 out of the

Southeast prior to an approaching cold front. The forecast kept increasing in 5 knot intervals from 10-15

J/24 "Think Safety" – continued Page 2 of 7

Published March 1981 – J/24 Class Association Magazine

every four hours. The situation was reminiscent of how a 55 knot Southeaster had forced cancellation of a

race in the One Ton Worlds in 1979. When wind velocity hit 35 mph before the start, that was it! We

scratched and urged another J/30 and five J/24's to do likewise. They did and no one ever regretted their

decision. Only five boats finished, three were dismasted (30 feet and larger), and on the winning Frers 46

ARIETO all but two of the crew were sick. A crewmember, who had been on the Fastnet said this was even

rougher. The race Committee was reluctant to call the race off because it was being used as a tune-up for a

number of Bermuda Race bound crews. And, it's possible that they too are susceptible to pressures of pride

and tradition. Would they risk New Bedford's rugged seafaring image - extending back centuries - by

calling off a race in a mere 35 knot zephyr?

The second time with a relatively inexperienced crew on our new J/36, I decided to pull out of the

overnight race of the Edgartown Regatta because the developing weather pattern again looked to be the

same ... building warm air flow ahead of a strong cold front. It didn't materialize and we might have won

the race had we gone. I felt a little stupid and was reassured in knowing that a half dozen other grand prix

racers up to 50 feet had made the same decision. I shouldn't have felt either. It's better to be right 50% of

the time than be wrong 10% of the time, or even once, and lose someone's life.

Or, put another way: It's better to be right 56 % of the time and enjoy the sport than it is to be wrong 25%

of the time and be miserable. A good boat eliminates many of the hair raising situations one can get into

that are only the source of enjoyment in bar talk after the race is over. But, a good boat can't compensate for

all conditions and errors of judgement. To illustrate the point, let's review what happened when three (the

only one's reported to date) J/24's sank.

April 27,1980

Tokai Marina, Japan

The following report is an extract from a letter received from Nissan, the J/24 licensed builder in Japan,

dated June 11, 1980.

Nissan held a reception for local boat owners and crews to test sail two new J/24's, #1933 and #1939. It

was a windy and gusty day. Easterly wind 30 to 40 knots and wave height 1-1/2-2 feet. Our helmsman and

five guests (all experienced sailors) on board #1939 were beating to windward on starboard tack with

reefed mainsail and 100 % jib.

When the tacked to port, the J/24 bore away to the wind abeam, and heeled to 60 70 degrees. They eased

both main and jib sheets quickly, but she was knocked down to horizontal by a sudden gust (60 knots, they

said) and flooded (maybe through opened cockpit hatch). At the moment, three sat on the weather deck and

three fell overboard from the lee side deck. Soon another gust hit the boat upside down. Six were holding

the turned over boat and waiting for rescue,

As soon as they were rescued by a powerboat, the J/24 turned herself upright, but flooded badly. Another

powerboat towed her to home port (only 1 mile) and as soon as the tow line was cast off, J/24 sunk to the

bottom.

See the Stability test of J/24 #1940 carried out by the Nippon Ocean Racing Club on May 19 as the result

of this accident. (reported later in this magazine).

May 23, 1980

In the Gulf Stream off Florida

The following deposition was taken by phone from Art Balow and Archie Ealdcchi following the loss of

the latter's J/24 TABASCO in the Annual Night Race to Bimini hosted by the Coconut Grove Sailing Club.

J/24 "Think Safety" – continued Page 3 of 7

Published March 1981 – J/24 Class Association Magazine

"During the night several squalls passed over without much punch to them, so when another approached

about 3 AM when we were in the Gulf Stream, we gave it little thought."

"Two people were below deck and two on deck. The forward hatch was dogged shut and the main

companionway hatch was closed with the board in. We decided to put all five people on the rail (4 crew

and skipper) as the wind picked up, then to reach off with the 150% genoa and mainsail.

"The wind hit in a big blast and even with the sheets let go, the boat was blown over on her side with the

mast in the water. The wind was screaming even though no sea had built up. We estimated over 60 knots

(The Yacht Club Newsletter stated gusts of 70 knots)"

"We had no harnesses or life jackets on, so hung on to the boat. The wind kept up a fierce blast for what

seemed to be 15 minutes. The boat was being pushed sideways and then turtled for 5 minutes. We went to

the transom and broke the strobe and life ring loose. Then we tried to twist the hull up by pulling on the

rudder. It came up to 270 deg. with lots of water. We opened the port lazarette and got out the 4 life jackets.

The boat then came up with the stern flooded. "

"One boat passed about 1/2 mile away. Our boat was down from the main hatch with the stern sinking fast.

Fortunately, we were picked up within 30 minutes. The boat had not sunk when we left it. The bow from

the forward hatch, the mast, and the leading couple of feet of the genoa were out of water. There was an

unconfirmed report that this was seen at 7 AM, four hours later."

"The lazarette lockers were not secured to prevent opening. If the after bulkheads were extended from the

foot of the main berths to the deck to essentially create a watertight compartment, we are convinced that the

boat would have stayed afloat. We suspect that one of the lockers fell open and caused the flooding."

August 31, 1980

Lake Ray Hubbard, Dallas, Texas

The following deposition was taken by phone from Susan Price, J/24 Dealer in Dallas, Texas following this

incident at Chandler's Landing Yacht Club on Lake Ray Hubbard outside of Dallas. The boat's owner is

Brad Parks. She's named (#1979) 'FUN, FIREWATER & DANCIN'. Following the afternoon's race a

"Chile Cook-Off" was conducted. The winning team produced a "Goat Chile". To celebrate their victory,

the 19 person team decided to sail Park's boat into the middle of the lake to ceremoniously dispose of the

goat's head.

Wind was 18-20 knots with gusts. The boat was sailing with the 150% genoa with 18 people on the

windward rail and the skipper in the cockpit. The goat head was thrown overboard and shortly thereafter, a

gust hit the boat from leeward. With the genoa and main cleated and 19 people on the new leeward side,

trying to pull themselves back aboard, the boat was pulled down - mast in the water. Several people got on

the keel, while others held on. The boat didn't go turtle, but the sheer weight of people held the boat down

far enough that she flooded through the leeward cockpit lazarette which had fallen open.

The main hatch was open. The boat sank stern first, slowly righting itself as it went down. The genoa sheet

and main sheet had not been uncleated which probably prevented the mast from coming up sooner once

water covered both sails. Several feet of the mast were exposed, so someone dove down to tie a rope on the

bow cleat, and the boat was towed to shallower water and pulled up with a crane, undamaged.

Hindsight is Always 20/20

We can point out that none of the three boats would have been knocked flat if sail had been taken off the

boat in anticipation of a problem. And, overlooking that precaution, none of the boats would have sunk if

the cockpit seat lockers had been secured with a lock or snaphook. But, caution was being thrown to the

J/24 "Think Safety" – continued Page 4 of 7

Published March 1981 – J/24 Class Association Magazine

winds, rightly or wrongly. J/24's were being raced, tested, or just being caught up in the levity of a

celebration. It's truly fortunate that no lives were lost and that we don't have to say ... if the crew members

had all been wearing life jackets.

What Can You Do?

At the risk of being repetitious, let's create a checklist of safety precautions:

1. Don't go sailing if weather conditions are already or are forecast to be such that you won't enjoy

sailing or that may test the crew beyond their experience or capability.

2. Be sure your J/24 or crew is equipped with good lifejackets that are comfortable to wear with good

whistle and high priced pocket strobe light (if sailing at night) firmly attached. And, be sure

everyone is wearing a life jacket when storm clouds approach or when the wind exceeds a certain

velocity - say 18 knots, or when you'd put up the 100% jib going to windward.

3. Keep the cockpit hatches secured with snaphook or lock, always.

4. Close and secure the forward hatch at all times when sailing.

5. Close and secure the main hatch with the hatchboard secured in heavy wind conditions or when

storms approach. If you have a louvered companionway slide, tape the openings shut or get a solid

board for storm use.

6. Practice man overboard drills and when new crew members come aboard make sure that they are

taught their responsibilities.

7. Hammer a wood plug into the sink drain. Offshore safety equipment includes such items for such

a purpose. The reason is that should (a) the boat fill above the level of the sink, the water gushing

through the sink opening may enter faster than you can bail or (b) the boat turtle, the air pocket

can be sustained. If air escapes out the sink drain, then the water level can raise inside the boat.

With more water inside the boat, the boat becomes more stable upside down and is less likely to

right itself.

In The Event Of A Knockdown?

This can occur when racing under spinnaker in ± 35 knots of wind or under jib and main in over 40 knots

of wind (or with too many people on board). Some of the hotshot Laser sailors have even made sport of

sending two people up the mast to rock a J/24 down while waiting in calms for races to start.

There are three things which can keep a J/24 from bouncing upright again:

1. The spinnaker scoops up water, and because sheet/guy or halyard is not cast off, the spinnaker full

of water (which weighs lots) keeps the boat from righting itself.

2. Wind velocity is so great (60 knots plus) on the bottom side of the overturned hull that this wind

velocity plus wave action forces the boat to trip on the sails and turn turtle.

3. The location of crew weight on the mast, standing on the edge of the companionway opening, or

pulling down on the boat in any way prevents the boat from righting itself.

So, the following precautions must be mentally reviewed and crew members briefed accordingly:

1. Count heads quickly to make sure no one is snared by lines or knocked unconscious and unable to

help themselves. Be sure harnesses are not attached to a part of the boat which could be under

J/24 "Think Safety" – continued Page 5 of 7

Published March 1981 – J/24 Class Association Magazine

water - which is just about everywhere except rudder fittings.

2. Cast off all sheets, the spinnaker guy or halyard and vang.

3. Make sure no one is standing on the mast or putting full weight on the boat. It's better to float to

leeward in the water, hanging onto the boat ready to scramble aboard as it starts to come up.

4. If the wind is screaming at 60 knots plus you won't be able to hear each other talk very well

work everyone forward and attempt to use your bodies to drag the bow into the wind and be

ready to board quickly if she shows any sign of responding and coming up that means start

climbing aboard when it's still down 80 degrees. By dragging the bow into the wind acting like

human sea anchors, you might prevent the boat from tripping on its rig.

5. Identify, have previously located at the transom - even attached to the outboard bracket and/or at

the stem head - a length of 1/2 inch line with knots in it which is about 30 feet long to: (1) hold

onto if the boat goes turtle as there are very few things to hold onto upside down (2) throw around

the keel and to pull downwind on to help the boat roll up again. The boat won't sink when it's

upside down.

Additional Considerations:

1. LIFE RAFTS Most offshore events require that you carry a life raft. Make sure that it's accessible

and ready to use in the cockpit well if bad weather is expected. Another possible use of a raft

(depending on the strength of its covering, and being sure there are no sharp projections to

puncture it) is to inflate it inside a J/24 figuring that under the worst of conditions, a partially

swamped but then unsinkable J/24 is a better rescue craft than the raft.

2. FOAM FLOTATION Class Rules permit the installation of commercially available foam blocks.

30 cubic feet (at 55 lbs. of flotation per cubic foot) provides about 1600 lbs. of lift. Check the

specifications of closed cell foam used. The balsa core sandwich construction of the J/24 means

that the hull will float without the keel. So, the 950 lb. keel, plus 147 lbs. of rig should be offset

with a margin of safety for crew weight. Blocks of the foam can be cut up to fit under the "V"

berth, in the port locker, under main berths and aft in the base of the cockpit lockers. This will

make a J/24 virtually unsinkable, but it will cut down on storage space. (See Guy Scriuner's

article).

3. BOUYANCY BAGS For approximately same cost as a life raft, air bags that are used for raising

sunken ships can be obtained along with either rechargeable air cylinders or foot pump inflation

valves. Firmly fastened down under the bunk cushions of the main berths and V berth, these can

be inflated in relatively short time should threatening weather exist. Three 500 lb. lift bags plus

foot pump run about $500. One supplier of SUBSALVE INDUSTRIES, INC. Box 9287,

Providence, RI 02904 (Tel. 4012722163). Again, such devices are permitted under Class

Rules and their weight is a credit in arriving at draft marks for one-design racing. The air bags

don't take away storage space.

4. SEASICKNESS The skipper has responsibility for the crew and keeping them healthy. In

emergencies (they usually happen in the roughest weather), a sick crew may be incapable of

helping themselves, let alone the boat or others. Attention should be paid to each crew member to

insure they have been prepared by their physician to cope with seasickness. This usually means

taking medication several hours before encountering the rough conditions. So again, anticipation

is critical. (See the article "A Seasickness Remedy Hailed by Coast Guard.")

5. HYPOTHERMIA It seems that safety at sea procedures are at best hand-me-downs from rescue

procedures used by fliers downed in the Pacific under normal sea conditions. Life jackets and rafts

are not high probability forms of survival in cold water and high wind conditions. The best way to

J/24 "Think Safety" – continued Page 6 of 7

Published March 1981 – J/24 Class Association Magazine

avoid such problems is to keep the J/24 afloat and stick with it. Another precaution when sailing in

cold waters is to wear a wet suit underneath normal foul weather gear, so if one falls overboard,

body warmth is better retained. The new dry "survival suits" such as the one manufactured by

Imperial in Bremerton, Washington offer even more protection. The standard suit is too bulky for

normal use, but may be quite comfortable if one's role is to sit on the weather rail in the middle of

a cold night. Also, these suits can be custom tailored to take out some of the excess folds and

built-on, awkward gloves and feet. These suits generally have enough flotation to also serve as

auxiliary life jackets.

6. BOAT MODIFICATIONS As a back up system to open hatches, J/Boats sent out the following

cable to licensed builders and all owners of record.

Notice to all J/Boats licensees and National Class Associations:

The standard specifications of the J/24 are hereby officially modified to provide added

insurance of flotation in case of knockdown in severe conditions and crew error in not

securing lazarette hatches. In the past six months, three J/24s have sunk. One in Japan

and one in the Gulf Stream off Florida in winds exceeding 60 knots. The boats were

knocked flat and flooding occured through the cockpit hatches which were not secured.

In the third instance, nineteen people were aboard and the boat was knocked flat when a

strong gust caught them all on the wrong side. Again, flooding occurred through an

unsecured cockpit hatch. Fortunately, no one was hurt. And we think you should, and, we

want to take every precaution to avoid a recurrence

All J/24s leaving the Fall River plant are now modified to extend the after bulkhead up to

the deck (The current bulkhead goes up 2/3's of the way at the foot of the main berths).

Additionally the fore and aft bulkhead under the cockpit well is being extended to insure

that port and starboard locker areas are sealed from one another. The net effect is to have

two waterproof compartments, so the boat can't flood if the crew doesn't secure one of the

cockpit hatches. And some additional flotation is provided if the boat is holed forward or

if water enters through one of the forward hatches left open. Additionally, lockdown

lever type hasps should be installed rather than simple lock hasps with an eye. The above

modification can be made by plants using existing tooling or by owners. It's simply a

matter of glassing in a piece of decorative wood and eliminating any limber holes. This

J/24 "Think Safety" – continued Page 7 of 7

Published March 1981 – J/24 Class Association Magazine

information is being sent to all registered owners who should above all remember to

batten down the hatches in rough weather. And to always sail with snap hook or lock

secured in the lock hasp that has come standard with the boats.

J/24 Modifications to create two separate compartments aft to prevent flooding should

deck locker lids be left unsecured.

(1) Extend bulkheads up to deck at aft end of main berths.

(2) Seal off one compartment from the other leaving access to rudder gudgeon nuts.

J/24 Builders do provide kits for owner installation. The kit includes instructions, cloth,

mat, fasteners and the ivory faced plywood panels being installed in new boats.

7. SINK DRAIN VALVE Rather than bung up the sink drain with a wood plug, plastic valves are

available which fit in the hose supplied standard. This valve can be kept closed except when using

the sink.

-end-

© copyright 2012 by Manhattan Sailing Club